In March 2016, as part of the fight against the Islamic State (IS or Daesh), American forces established an outpost in al-Tanf, located in southern Syria, which was strategic at the time because its control made it possible to lock it down. down the Damascus-Baghdad axis, to prevent potential jihadist infiltration into Jordan and, incidentally, to ensure the training of Syrian rebels.
Since then, the self-proclaimed caliphate by Daesh has been defeated. However, despite not losing its strategic importance, Al-Tanf base is still controlled by American troops. It is therefore regularly attacked by Syrian forces and Iran-aligned militias.
However, to ensure support for its forces stationed in al-Tanf, the United States established the “Tower 22” logistics base, located in Jordan, less than ten kilometers from the Syrian border. We know very little about it, except that it will carry about 350 American troops… and that it can be easily found on Google Maps (with a satellite photograph as a bonus…).
However, on 28 January, the base was targeted by a kamikaze drone (or remotely operated munition, MTO). According to US CENTCOM, the American command for the Middle East and Central Asia, three soldiers were killed. And at least thirty-four others were injured, eight of whom had to be evacuated. This assessment is likely to be revised upwards, he said.
Since October 17, American forces and the anti-jihadist coalition (Operation Inherent Resolve, OIR) have been targeted 150 times in Iraq (60 times) and Syria (90 times) by Iran-aligned militias. The attack on the Tower 22 base is the first of its kind in Jordan.
It is not impossible that it is a response to the recent strikes carried out by the Royal Jordanian Air Force against traffickers of Captagon (an amphetamine-type drug) in Syria. Last week, Damascus, which reaps huge profits from this traffic, said “such military operations are not justified” while ensuring it avoids “increasing tensions and damaging the ongoing recovery” of its “fraternal relations” with Amman. wants to
Regardless, US President Joe Biden has vowed to retaliate against those responsible for the attack on the Tower 22 base.
“Today (January 28), America’s heart is heavy. Last night, three US service members were killed and several wounded in a drone attack on our forces located in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border. (…) We know this was carried out by groups of radical fighters supported by Iran operating in Syria and Iraq,” Mr. Biden said. “There is no doubt: we will hold all those responsible accountable, when and how we want, ” he later assured.
“We will take all necessary steps to protect the United States, our troops and our interests,” Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said.
My sincere condolences to Lloyd Austin @SecDef And the three American soldiers who lost their lives after the attack on the American nation.
The United States can count on our support in our common fight against terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. https://t.co/Ek5DfHA3Ya
— Sebastian Lecornu (@sablecornu) January 28, 2024
After insisting that the attack on American troops did not take place in Jordan but in Al-Tanf, the Jordanian government finally condemned the strike against the Tower 22 base through its spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin. And to recall that military cooperation with the United States primarily concerns counterterrorism and border security operations.
“Jordan will continue to fight terrorism and the smuggling of drugs and arms across the Syrian border. It will deal with firmness and determination anyone who tries to attack the Kingdom’s security,” he said.
It remains to be seen who is behind the attack… Via Telegram, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, which brings together several armed groups linked to Iranian interests, claimed to have struck “three bases in Syrian territory”, including al happens – Tanaf and Rukban. And, for its part, Tehran has denied all responsibility. It is “a conflict between the United States and ‘resistance’ groups in the region,” an Iranian diplomat argued.
In recent weeks, the United States has responded to attacks on its troops in Iraq and Syria with occasional strikes against positions of pro-Tehran militias and al-Quds Force, a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They will probably do the same after targeting the Tower 22 base, although a direct attack on Iran is out of the question for them.
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